news 2 / 2012

Design defines K2SArchitects Ltd.

The is the venue of the European Championships in Athletics 2012. The 1930’s functionalist building is about to enter a period of thorough renovation and modernisation. The project will include a full cover for the stands largely built from wood.

Helsinki relies on a democratic dialogue including competi- The Helsinki Central Library competition is part of the pro- tions to develop the city on high standards. gramme of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, a year-long celebration of design. Major architectural components of the In May 2012 Helsinki invited citizens to dream up their ideas for a design year’s programme include a new university library and major new city public library, Helsinki Central Library, to be built a sculpturesque chapel. They are examples of novel, creative in the heart of Helsinki. At that time the first stage of an open ideas of Finnish architects for the dense Helsinki city centre. international architectural competition had just been completed. New projects also promote cultural and spiritual values amidst The organisers received 543 submissions from all over the world. busy urban life. Helsinki Central Library will be a new kind of urban commu- nity centre, a library of the future, which offers visitors opportu- nities for diverse cultural experiences and interaction, as well as providing traditional library services. World Design The jury will select 6–8 of the submissions for the second stage Capital Helsinki 2012 of the competition to be completed in 2013. The library should highlights the possibilities of be completed in 2017, ’s centennial as an independent design in all of its manifestations nation. to shape cities and societies, The tradition of competitions in Helsinki to define the city goes as well as offering a window to deep. Ninety percent of Helsinki’s public buildings are results Finnish design and architecture. of them. Competitions are public affairs, and many of them The design year’s programme consists of more than 300 pro- have stirred heated and very visible debate, especially some of gramme items – public events, exhibitions and, importantly, the buildings in the culturally valuable Töölö Bay area where development projects which look at ways to improve life Helsinki Central Library will be located. The library will join with processes inherent in design. www.wdchelsinki2012.fi major cultural buildings in the area, including , the , the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Sanoma House media headquarters buildings. news

Cultural Sauna emerges A haven of tranquility on urban Helsinki waterfront in the city centre

“We seek to offer people a place for cleansing, bathing and shar- One of the busiest places in ing quiet togetherness,” says Nene Tsuboi, one of the two Helsinki, a square next to designers and owners of Cultural Sauna, a public sauna which the commercial cen- will open its doors in late summer 2012. “The sauna will be an tre and transportation hub, architecturally distinguished public building, which also serves is now home to a chapel for K2SArchitects Ltd. as a place for cultural activity and exchange,” envisions Tuomas reflection, quiet meditation Toivonen, the other designer-owner. and personal encounters. Cultural Sauna continues the tradition of public saunas Architectural design is by the in Helsinki. It will be housed in a low-energy building using Helsinki based K2S Archi- renewable energy. The goal of the project is to invoke discussion tects. about city culture, a new sauna culture in Helsinki, and better The Kamppi Chapel is a use of city centre waterfronts. The project forms part of World small sacral building which Design Capital Helsinki 2012. A similar project is envisioned for interacts with the cityscape Hernesaari, a busy future residential and commercial district of with a curved wooden façade. Helsinki. The chapel’s gently shaped wooden interior embraces visitors, as if by shielding them from the bustling city Kamppi Chapel of Silence life outside. The space is

NeneTsuboi defined by natural light flowing down diagonally from skylights. Only the actual chapel space is located in the wooden volume. Secondary facilities are located in a space opening up towards the adjacent Narinkka square. The chapel is staffed by the Helsinki Parish Union and the City of Helsinki Social Services Department. The staff are available to meet visitors for private discussion on personal matters. While the social workers offer counselling, the Parish Union workers mainly focus on pastoral care and spiritual life. The Kamppi Chapel keeps its doors open from morning to evening seven days a week. The chapel is a joint project by the Cultural Sauna Helsinki Parish Union and the City of Helsinki.

A contemporary university library in the venerable Helsinki city centre

The treasured historical heart of Helsinki with building styles from the 19th to early 20th century has a new contemporary addi- tion – a landmark building which houses the largest research library in Finland. The new building concentrates all library operations of the University of Helsinki’s City Centre Campus. It serves on-campus research and instruction with state-of-the-art, Anttinen OivaArchitects multi-disciplinary collections and services. The library complements the surrounding building stock with a red-brick façade distinguished by large arches and a dense lat- tice of windows that hides the floor division. The interior is like- wise distinguished by large arches which join the library balco- nies and are reflected on the exterior. The City Centre Campus Library occupies a block at Kaisanie- menkatu 5 formerly taken by a parking building. Architectural design is by Anttinen Oiva Architects. The concept was chosen by an invited architectural competition organised in 2007. The building will be commissioned in the autumn of 2012.

University of Helsinki City Centre Campus Library news

Wooden pavilion serves as a public meeting place

The neighbouring museums of Finnish Architecture and Design in Helsinki are joined by a temporary wooden pavilion that spans a vacant lot between the buildings. The Pavilion serves as the central meeting place of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 dur- This year the annual Helsinki Design Week joins forces ing May-September. The 400-square-metre structure can hold up with World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, making Septem- to 500 people at a time. ber the most design-intensive month of the design year. The Pavilion is an open-air space that hosts a diverse pro- The week is larger than ever before. The programme incor- gramme of World Design Capital events ranging from workshops porates exhibitions, fashion shows, design shopping, and lectures to daytime dances and film screenings. There is a pecha kucha nights, open houses, and much more. The café and a shop. dates are 6–16 September. The Pavilion was designed at Aalto University’s Wood Programme based on the concept of architectural student Pyry- Pekka Kantonen. The roof is composed of triangular elements and rests on eight pillars made up of six L-shaped sections. The Pavilion is a showcase of Finnish sustainable wood architecture. Helsinki Olympic Stadium to be fully renovated and modernised

The iconic Olympic Stadium in Helsinki is one of the finest exam-

Janne Salovaara ples of Finnish functionalism. The stadium building is the result of an open architectural competition, won by Finnish architects Yrjö Lindegren and Toivo Jäntti. The building was completed in 1938 and expanded to host the 15th Olympic Games in 1952. A series of changes have been implemented since, but the building has retained its original architectural identity accentuated by the 72-metre signature tower. The Olympic Stadium is about to enter its next phase of evolu- tion comprising a thorough renovation and modernisation. The development plans for the stadium are by K2S Architects. The sta- dium will obtain extensive new facilities, many of them under- ground, retaining the original architecture but with everything under the skin rebuilt. The stands will be fully covered. Parking will be removed vacating a large field in front of the building for new uses. There will be extensive new restaurant facilities. The Olympic Stadium renovation and modernisation is sched- The temporary Pavilion is a summertime meeting place. uled for completion in 2018. The stadium will remain in use throughout the re-construction. The stadium is owned by the City of Helsinki. Helsinki City Board votes down Guggenheim Helsinki

The Helsinki City Board has narrowly rejected the plan to move forward with the project to build a Guggenheim museum in Hel- sinki. The board voted 8-to-7 against the plan in its meeting on 2 May 2012. The next phase of the Guggenheim project would have involved Suomen Ilmakuva Oy / City of Helsinki an international architectural competition. Helsinki commissioned the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in January 2011 to produce a feasibility study on the possibility to build a Guggenheim museum in Helsinki. The study, presented in January 2012, recommended building the museum at a central location in Helsinki’s South Harbour. Helsinki Olympic Stadium news

A preview of the Olympics: Helsinki hosts the Ice Hockey Helsinki hosts European World Championship with a Athletics Championships 2012 touch of design

The eyes of sports fans in The IIHF Ice Hockey SUL Europe will be fixed on Hel- World Championship sinki for five days from 27 is the world’s biggest June to 1 July, when the annual winter sports continent’s top athletes event. Helsinki has compete to be crowned as hosted the event seven Europe’s champions in track times during the cham- and field, just weeks before pionship’s history Finnish Ice HockeyAssociation the Olympic Games in Lon- including the 2012 event don (27 July–12 August). in May. The 2012 first “These championships rounds were co-hosted are among the biggest ath- by Helsinki and Stock- One of Finland’s stars in the letics events of the current holm, and the semi- Finland confronts the USA in a 2012 world championship game in Helsin- European championships and century, and the approach- finals and the medal the upcoming Olympics: Tero ki. The 2012 world title was taken by ing Olympics will give an games were played in Pitkämäki, Javelin Russia. added boost to us as organis- Helsinki. The arena in ers,” says Esa Honkalehto, General Secretary of the Helsinki 2012 Helsinki was Hartwall Areena. organising committee. “The biggest stars in Europe want to fetch The Helsinki organising committee was aided by another their medals from Helsinki prior to the Olympics.” world-level organisation, World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, to The action-packed five days in Helsinki will feature 1,700 team produce a unique event, understanding that design seen in its members representing 50 countries. The TV audience of the larger meaning is a key element of successful sports events. broadcast to about 40 countries is expected to reach 400 million. The championship’s brand was integrated in all visual ele- The championships are a vast organising effort for Finnish athlet- ments. The main design focus was on service design. For exam- ics groups, who will devote 1,700 volunteers to the task. ple, tickets were accompanied by instructions on how to reach The main stage of the championships is Helsinki’s venerable the arena and information on available services. Volunteers were Olympic Stadium, which hosted the Summer Olympics in 1952, specially trained to cater for guest needs. The media facilities the world athletics championships in 1983 and 2005, and the were optimised. The players were ensured by all means possible European athletics championships in 1971 and 1994. These and the best conditions to focus on their games. other events have gained Helsinki a reputation as a top-tier host The design components of the 2012 championship will be com- city for world-class sports events. www.helsinki2012.fi piled in a brand book for use with future sports events.

A new Helsinki deputy mayor

Helsinki’s new deputy mayor responsi- Finland’s Ministry of the Interior (the ministry’s highest offi- ble for education, culture and personnel cial) since 2003. Before that, she served as Director General at the affairs is Ritva Viljanen. She was elected Finnish Population Register Centre and in various duties at the to office by the Helsinki City Council as a Finnish Ministries of Finance, Justice and the Interior. representative of Finland’s Social Demo- Viljanen will supervise the Helsinki Central Library competition cratic Party. A Helsinki deputy mayor’s as Helsinki’s highest official and chair the jury. In charge of the Pertti Nisonen / City of Helsinki term is seven years. There are four deputy City’s sports function, she enters office on the eve of the European mayors in the city government. Athletics Championships 2012, which serve as a reminder that Prior to her new office, Viljanen Helsinki has an active and wide-ranging sports life, much of it Ritva Viljanen served as Permanent Secretary of supported by the City.

City of Helsinki Helsinki News is an international bulletin Communications Office published by the City of Helsinki Communications Office four times a year.

P.O.B. 1, Pohjoisesplanadi 11–13 Contact United States and Canada: 00099 City of Helsinki, Finland Johanna Lemola, [email protected] Phone +358 9 310 1641 United Kingdom: Jarkko Järventaus, www.helsinki.fi [email protected]